AmFirst – my mistake

AmFirst is a Bursa Malaysia mix-sector REIT that has seen declining occupancy despite a growth in the leasable area.

AmFirst failed in its mission to deliver sustainable long-term income distribution and investment performance:

• The annual dividend had declined from an average of RM 0.09 per unit (2008 to 2010) to an average of RM 0.03 per unit (2020 to 2022).

• The Book Value had grown by a 1.0 % CAGR from 2007 to 2022.

• The average FFO per unit had declined from an average of RM 0.11 per unit (2008 to 2010) to an average of RM 0.08 per unit (2020 to 2022).

From a unitholder’s perspective, from 2011 to 2022, I achieved a gain of 0.9 % CAGR. Not exactly great compared to the returns from keeping the money with the EPF. I would conclude that my investment in AmFirst was a mistake. It may previously have been a good Bursa stock. But I am not sure this is still the case.